The construction of Ravenscraig Castle began in 1460, the same year that the man who had ordered it to be built, King James II, died. For a while it was the home of his widow, Mary of Gueldres, but following her death in 1463 building work ceased and the castle was left incomplete.

James III forced William Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, to exchange his castle at Kirkwall, on Orkney, for Ravenscraig Castle. The Sinclairs inhabited Ravenscraig until 1650 and during this time completed the construction of the castle, although not to the original plans.

The castle was one of the first artillery forts to be built in the country, designed to be defended by, and from, guns. It stands on a rocky promontory that juts out into Kirkcaldy Bay. It consists of two large D-shaped towers linked by a range, protected on the seaward side by steep cliffs and on the landward side by a large ditch.